Hair Coloring Cap

ABSTRACT

An improved hair coloring cap and kit that enables a user to apply two or more different hair coloring agents to the user&#39;s hair in a single application and without cross color contamination. The improved hair coloring cap is comprised of a cap portion with a plurality of spaced apart openings formed therein for receipt of select strands of the user&#39;s hair to be colored, a plurality of spaced apart panels extending outwardly from the cap portion, and a fastener for removably attaching the cap portion to the user&#39;s head. The kit may be comprised of the improved hair coloring cap, a hook for pulling select strands of hair through the openings to be colored or highlighted, and various coloring agents. One or more of the openings and/or panels may be coded to instruct the user on how and where to apply the coloring agents.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority from Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/589,452 filed on Jan. 23, 2012.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an improved hair coloring cap that allows auser to apply two or more different hair colors to the user's hair in asingle application to create his or her own multi-dimensional personalcolor brilliance and/or retouch roots. The improved hair coloring cap isrelatively inexpensive to manufacture, safe and easy to use, and enablesa user to color his or her hair in a professional manner withoutincurring the expense of a professional hairdresser.

BACKGROUND

Many individuals like to color or highlight their hair to conceal signsof aging (e.g., gray hairs), and/or to obtain a new hairstyle or look.For example, an individual with brown hair may desire to dye his or herhair blonde, red, black or some other color or multi-dimensional colorsat the same time, or vice versa. Other individuals may desire to applymulti-color highlights to their hair, which is the process of applyingdifferent hair coloring agents to different strands of hair to lightenor darken said strands of hair from their original color and in contrastto other portions of the user's hair.

Notwithstanding the fact that many individuals frequently desire tocolor or highlight their hair, it can be expensive and time consumingfor said individuals to frequent a salon or professional hairdressereach time the individual desires to color or highlight his or her hairwith multiple colors. Many individuals simply cannot afford the expenseof repeated trips to the salon or hairdresser to have their hair coloredor highlighted by a professional. Other individuals simply don't havethe time to spend hours at a salon each time they desire to have theirhair colored or highlighted with a single or multiple colors.

Many individuals that do not have the time or resources to have theirhair colored or highlighted at a salon or by a professional hairdresserwill attempt to color their own hair with existing hair coloring kits.However, many existing hair coloring kits can be difficult to use bysomeone lacking formal hairdresser training or education, and can resultin damage to the individual's hair and/or an unacceptable result (i.e.,incorrect and/or inconsistent coloring, etc.). Moreover, even whencorrectly utilized, traditional hair coloring caps are only designed topermit an individual to color his or her hair one color at a time.Therefore, an individual desiring to apply two or more colors to his orher hair must repeat the entire hair coloring process for each separatecolor, which includes applying the coloring agent, waiting for thecoloring agent to react with the hair to be colored, rinsing theremaining coloring agent from the hair, washing out, conditioning andthoroughly drying the colored hair. Because the forgoing process has tobe repeated for each color, the coloring or highlighting process couldgo on for hours and is both time consuming and inconvenient and,therefore, undesirable.

Even if an individual were to attempt to apply two different coloringagents with a traditional hair coloring cap at the same time, it wouldbe extremely difficult for the individual to successfully separate thestrands of different colored hair which could lead to mixing of thevarious coloring agents and potentially disastrous results.Consequently, there exists in the art a long-felt need for an improvedhair coloring cap that can be used by an individual to color orhighlight different portions of his or her hair with different colors ina single application. There also exists in the art a long felt need foran improved hair coloring cap that can be used by an individual with noformal education or specialized training in the field of hairdressingand/or coloring. Finally, there is a long-felt need for an improved haircoloring cap that accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives, and thatis relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and safe and easy to use.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summaryis not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identifykey/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof,is an improved hair coloring cap for applying different colors todifferent strands of hair in a consistent fashion and in a singleapplication. The improved hair coloring cap is preferably comprised of acap portion for placement on a user's head, and a plurality of flexiblepanels extending outwardly from said cap portion in spaced apartrelationship to one another. Along said cap portion, and preferablylocated between each of said panels, are a plurality of spaced apartcontinuous openings in the cap portion for receiving strands of theuser's hair. The various openings in the cap portion, as well as thevarious flexible panels extending therefrom, may be color coded toassist the user in applying the various hair coloring agents in aconsistent manner to achieve a professional looking result.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a kit isdisclosed for permitting an individual to apply different hair coloringagents to different strands of hair in a consistent fashion and in asingle application. The kit is preferably comprised of an improved haircoloring cap with a plurality of spaced apart continuous openings formedtherein and a plurality of flexible panels extending outwardly from saidcap in spaced apart fashion, a hook for assisting the user to pullstrands of his or her hair through said continuous openings in the capto be colored, and at least one hair coloring agent for applying colorto at least a portion of the hair strands extending through saidopenings. As previously mentioned, the various openings in the cap, aswell as the various flexible panels extending therefrom, may be coded toassist the user in applying the at least one hair coloring agent in aconsistent manner to achieve a professional looking result.

The improved hair coloring cap and kit of the present invention enablesan individual to apply two or more different hair colors safely andeasily without incurring the expense of a professional hairdresser. Theimproved hair coloring cap and kit of the present invention also allowsanyone, including those without any formal hair coloring or hairdressing education or training, to independently color their hair withmultiple color dimensions with only a single application. The individualpanels of the improved hair coloring cap of the present invention alsopermit the user to fold and segregate the various colored hair sectionsto prevent or reduce the likelihood of cross contamination of thevarious hair colors being used. The improved hair coloring cap and kitof the present invention can also be used for touching up root color.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certainillustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein inconnection with the following description and the annexed drawings.These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various waysin which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and is intendedto include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages andnovel features will become apparent from the following detaileddescription when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theimproved hair coloring cap of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theimproved hair coloring cap of the present invention on a user's head.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theimproved hair coloring cap of the present invention with portions of theuser's hair protruding out of a plurality of openings and extendingalong the length of a panel.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of ahair coloring kit of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theimproved hair coloring cap of the present invention with portions of theuser's hair protruding out of a plurality of openings and extendingalong the length of a panel, which has then been folded over in thedirection of the user's head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, whereinlike reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout.In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovationcan be practiced without these specific details.

The improved hair coloring cap of the present invention enables anindividual with little or no hairdresser education or training to colorand/or highlight different portions of his or her hair with differentcolors in a single application. The improved hair coloring cap of thepresent invention also provides the user with an easy to follow patternfor applying the various coloring agents to the various strands of hairto produce a consistent and professional looking result in a singleapplication. Finally, the improved hair coloring cap of the presentinvention is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, safe and easy touse, and produces results consistent with those of a salon and/orprofessional hairdresser.

Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspectiveview of a preferred embodiment of an improved hair coloring cap device100 of the present invention. Hair coloring cap device 100 is preferablycomprised of a cap portion 110, a plurality of spaced apart panels 130extending outwardly from said cap portion 110, and a fastener 150 forremovably securing cap device 100 to the head 210 of a wearer. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, cap portion 110 is a generally domed shapedstructure for placement on a wearer's head 210, and is preferably formedof textured plastic, though any other suitable materials such as rubber,vinyl, foil, etc. could also be used without affecting the overallconcept of the invention. Cap portion 110 is preferably comprised of afastener pathway 111, an interior surface 112 that faces inward in thedirection of the wearer's head 210, an opposing exterior surface 114, afront portion 116, side portions 117, a back portion 118 and a pluralityof spaced apart openings 120 formed in the cap portion 110 for receiptof select strands of the wearer's hair 220, as described more fullybelow.

Cap portion 110 can be manufactured in various shapes and sizes toaccommodate virtually any shape and size of head 210, but should besized to fit somewhat snugly on the wearer's head 210. As previouslymentioned and as illustrated in FIG. 1, cap portion 110 furthercomprises a fastener pathway or continuous opening 111 that extendsgenerally along the edges of front portion 116, side portions 117 andback portion 118 for receipt of fastener 150. Fastener 150 can be arope, string, twine or any other suitable materials that can bepositioned within and extend beyond fastener pathway 111, for example,and tied around the chin or neck area of a wearer 200, as bestillustrated in FIG. 2. In this manner, cap device 100 can be removablysecured to a wearer's head 210 during the hair coloring process, whichis described more fully below. Alternatively, it is also contemplatedthat cap portion 110 and fasteners 150 can be integrally formed orfasteners 150 could be attached to cap portion 110, so as to eliminatethe need for a separate fastener pathway 111.

Openings 120 are continuous apertures in cap portion 110 that extendfrom interior surface 112 to exterior surface 114, and that arepositioned in spaced apart relationship along the surface of cap portion110. More specifically, openings 120 may be positioned along the surfaceof front portion 116, side portions 117, and back portion 118. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention, openings 120 may begrouped together in groups of six to twelve openings 120 in single ordouble rows between each of panels 130 as illustrated in the FIGS, andexplained more fully below. As an important aspect of the presentinvention, cap portion 110 can be provided with existing openings 120for receipt of hair strands or, alternatively, it is also contemplatedthat cap portion 110 could be marked for openings 120 (but not containthe same) so that a user could create the openings 120 where desiredalong cap portion 110 to further reduce the possibility of coloringagents being unintentionally applied to other hair strands or the scalp.

Openings 120 are preferably generally circular in shape, though it iscontemplated that other shapes could also be used without affecting theoverall concept of the present invention, and are preferably between1/32 and ½ of an inch in diameter. As previously mentioned, the openings120 may be pre-existing on cap portion 110, or created by the user atdesired locations. As explained more fully below, select strands of hair220 may be pulled through openings 120 to be colored. Openings 120 mayalso be color coded, or designated with some other coding system, toinform the user of where to apply the various coloring agents whencoloring the select strands of hair 220. In this manner, even a novicecan quickly and easily color his or her hair using the hair coloring cap100 of the present invention, and obtain a professional looking result.It should also be appreciated that the amount of hair 220 pulled througheach opening 120 will affect the overall coloring scheme of the wearer'shair 220.

Each of panels 130 is preferably a generally flat, rectangular sheetcomprised of a first end portion or base 132 that is connected to theexterior surface 114 of cap portion 110, opposing side portions 134, asecond end portion 136 opposite of first end portion 132, a top surface138 and a bottom surface 140, as best illustrated in FIG. 2. Panels 130are preferably comprised of textured plastic, though it is alsocontemplated that other suitable materials, such as vinyl, rubber, film,foil and the like, could also be used without affecting the overallconcept of the invention.

Each of panels 130 may be integrally formed with cap portion 110, orfirst end portion 132 of each of panels 130 may be attached to theexterior surface 114 of cap portion 110 by any means commonly known inthe art, such as gluing, adhesives, or the like. As illustrated in FIG.2, panels 130 are preferably spaced apart along the exterior surface 114of cap portion 110. More specifically, panels 130 may be positionedalong the surface of one or more of front portion 116, side portions117, and/or back portion 118 in groups of panels 130 that are generallyparallel to other panels 130 in the same group, and spaced apart atintervals of approximately ½ to 6 inches. Nonetheless, it is alsocontemplated that panels 130 could be placed at different orientationsor angles to one another to suit user preference. In a preferredembodiment of the present invention, panels 130 may be grouped togetherin groups of 2 to 5 panels 130, and separated by one or more rows ofopenings 120 as described above and illustrated in the FIGS.

Each of panels 130 are preferably 2 to 24 inches in length, as measuredfrom first end portion 132 to second end portion 136, between 2 and 6inches in width, as measured between opposing side portions 134, andbetween 1/64 and ⅛ inches in thickness, as measured between top surface138 and bottom surface 140, though it is contemplated that otherdimensions could also be used to suit user preference or accommodateshorter or longer strands of hair 220.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, panels 130 mayfurther comprise a grip 142 attached to the second end portion 136 foreasy handling of panel 130. Grip 142 may be any type of grip commonlyknown in the art for handling an article and is preferably formed ofrubber, though any other suitable materials may also be used. Grip 142may be attached to panel 130 by any means commonly known in the art forattaching two articles together, such as adhesive, crimping, etc.Similar to openings 120, one or more of panels 130 and/or grips 142 mayalso be color coded, or designated with some other coding system (e.g.,numbering, lettering, etc.), to inform the user of whether the panel 130is meant to be used for highlighting or low-lighting. For example, apanel 130 or grip 142 marked with yellow may inform the user that thepanel 130 should be used as a highlight panel, whereas a panel 130and/or grip 142 marked with red may signify a low-light panel. In thismanner, even a novice can quickly and easily color his or her hair usingthe hair coloring cap 100 of the present invention, and obtain aprofessional looking result.

FIG. 4 depicts a kit 300 which, in one embodiment, is comprised ofimproved hair coloring cap 100 of the present invention, a hook 310, andvarious hair coloring agents 320. As previously described in detailabove, hair coloring cap 100 is further comprised of a cap portion 110,a plurality of spaced apart openings 120 formed in the surface of capportion 110 for receipt of select strands of hair 220 therein, aplurality of spaced apart elongated panels 130 extending outwardly fromthe exterior surface 114 of cap portion 110, and a fastener 150 forremovably attaching said hair coloring cap 100 to a wearer's head 210.Hook 310 is preferably an elongated member comprised of a handle portion312 and a hook portion 314 for pulling select strands of hair 220through at least one of said plurality of openings 120 in cap portion110 to be colored by at least one of hair coloring agents 320. As alsopreviously mentioned, one or more of openings 120 and/or panels 130 ofthe cap 100 included in the kit 300 may be color coded, or designatedwith some other coding system (e.g., numbering, lettering, etc.), toadvise the wearer 200 on how and where to apply the various coloringagents 320. Kit 300 may also include clips (not shown) for maintainingthe folded panels 130 in place and written instructions (not shown) tofurther educate the wearer on the use of kit 300 and/or the haircoloring process.

Having now described the overall structure of improved hair coloring cap100 and kit 300, their use and usefulness will now be described. Anindividual desiring to color or highlight different portions of his orher hair with different colors in a single application would begin theprocess by placing the improved hair coloring cap 100 of the presentinvention on his or her head 210, as illustrated in FIG. 2, andremovably securing the same through fasteners 150 that may be tied intoa knot or bough beneath the chin of the wearer 200. Once installed,wearer 200 can then utilize hook 310 to begin pulling select strands ofthe wearer's hair 220 through select openings 120 in cap portion 100. Aspreviously described, one or more of openings 120 and/or panels 130 maybe color coded to assist wearer 200 in determining which openings 120and/or panels 130 to use during the coloring or highlighting process.

Once the desired strands of hair 220 have been pulled through openings120, said hairs 220 may be extended along the top surface 138 of panel130, as best illustrated in FIG. 3, and the coloring agent 320 may beapplied to the hair via brushing, bottle application or any othersuitable means. Grips 142 allow the wearer 200 to easily and efficientlyhandle the various panels 130 during the coloring or highlightingprocess. Once the coloring agent 320 has been applied to the hair 220 onthe top surface 138 of panel 130, panel 130 may be folded to sandwichthe recently colored hair 220 between the folded panel 130 in an effortto move the colored hair out of the wearer's way and prevent, or atleast reduce, the likelihood of cross color contamination of the variousstrands of colored hair 220. Once folded, a clip (not shown), such as abobby pin, may be used to hold panel 130 in a desired location. Theforgoing process may be repeated for each panel of hair to be colored.The number, positioning and orientation of openings 120 (or markings fora user to create openings 120) and panels 130 may vary to suit coverageneeds on different portions of cap portion 110.

Once all of the desired hair 220 has been successfully colored orhighlighted, wearer 200 can unfold the various panels 130 with thecolored or highlighted hair 220, wash the excess colors off of cap 100,remove cap 100 from the wearer's head 210, and wash and condition thewearer's entire head 210. Cap 100 may then be washed and reused onsubsequent coloring or highlighting applications, or discarded.

In this manner, improved hair coloring cap 100 and kit 300 of thepresent invention can be used by a wearer 200 to color or highlightdifferent portions of his or her hair 220 with different coloring agents320 in a single application. Consequently, a user with little or noformal education or specialized training in the field of hairdressingand/or coloring can easily and safely color or highlight their own hairin a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost typicallyassociated with a trip to a hair salon or professional hairdresser.Finally, the improved hair coloring cap and kit of the present inventionis relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and safe and easy to use.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus,while the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof isshown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that there is no intention to limit theinvention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, asdefined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to beconstrued as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joinedtogether, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of rangesof values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method ofreferring individually to each separate value falling within the range,unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitableorder unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitationon the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language inthe specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimedelement as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein. Variationsof those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventorexpects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, andthe inventor intends for the invention to be practiced otherwise than asspecifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes allmodifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in theclaims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, anycombination of the above-described elements in all possible variationsthereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicatedherein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

What is claimed is:
 1. An improved hair coloring cap for coloring selectstrands of a user's hair comprising: a cap portion; and at least onepanel extending outwardly from said cap portion.
 2. The improved haircoloring cap of claim 1 wherein said cap portion is further comprised ofa plurality of continuous openings for receipt of said select strands ofa user's hair.
 3. The improved hair coloring cap of claim 1 furthercomprising a fastener for removably attaching the cap portion to auser's head.
 4. The improved hair coloring cap of claim 1 furthercomprising at least one additional panel extending outwardly from saidcap portion, wherein said at least one panel and said at least oneadditional panel are in spaced apart relationship to one another alongan external surface of said cap portion.
 5. The improved hair coloringcap of claim 1, wherein said at least one panel is color coded.
 6. Theimproved hair coloring cap of claim 2, wherein at least one of saidplurality of continuous openings is color coded.
 7. The improved haircoloring cap of claim 4, wherein said cap portion is further comprisedof a plurality of continuous openings for receipt of said select strandsof a user's hair and wherein at least one of said plurality ofcontinuous openings is positioned between said at least one panel andsaid at least one additional panel.
 8. A hair coloring cap for coloringselect strands of a user's hair comprising: a cap portion with aplurality of spaced apart openings formed therein for receipt of saidselect strands of a user's hair; a plurality of spaced apart panelsextending outwardly from said cap portion; and a fastener for removablyattaching said cap portion to a user's head.
 9. The hair coloring cap ofclaim 8, wherein at least one of said plurality of spaced apart panelsis color coded.
 10. The hair coloring cap of claim 8, wherein at leastone of said plurality of spaced apart openings is color coded.
 11. Thehair coloring cap of claim 8 wherein at least one of said plurality ofspaced apart openings is positioned between a first one of saidplurality of spaced apart panels and a second one of said plurality ofspaced apart panels.
 12. The hair coloring cap of claim 8 wherein a rowof said plurality of spaced apart openings is positioned between a firstone of said plurality of spaced apart panels and a second one of saidplurality of spaced apart panels.
 13. The hair coloring cap of claim 8wherein the number of said plurality of spaced apart panels is betweentwelve and eighteen.
 14. The hair coloring cap of claim 8 wherein atleast one of said plurality of spaced apart panels further comprises anend grip.
 15. A kit for applying color to select strands of hair on auser's head comprising: a hair coloring cap, wherein said hair coloringcap is further comprised of a plurality of openings formed therein and aplurality of panels extending outwardly from an exterior surface of saidhair coloring cap; a hook for pulling at least one of said selectstrands of hair through at least one of said plurality of openings; andat least one hair coloring agent for applying color to said at least oneof said select strands of hair.
 16. The kit of claim 15 wherein saidhair coloring cap further comprising a fastener for removably attachingthe hair coloring cap to the user's head.
 17. The kit of claim 15wherein at least one of said plurality of panels is color coded.
 18. Thekit of claim 15 wherein at least one of said plurality of openings iscolor coded.
 19. The kit of claim 15 wherein at least one of saidplurality of openings is positioned between a first one of saidplurality of panels and a second one of said plurality of said panels.20. The kit of claim 15 wherein a row of said plurality of openings ispositioned between a first one of said plurality of panels and a secondone of said plurality of said panels.